Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Lost hopes for family of teen killed in Delft shooting
MURDERED 15-year-old Aqeelah Schroeder’s family hoped for a better future, away from crime and poverty, when they left their zinc structure in Blikkiesdorp.
After 18 years on the City’s waiting list, the family became one of many to receive a home in Delft. But they found themselves victim of the increasing gun violence in the area.
Aqeelah, a Grade 9 pupil, had been walking home after visiting a nearby tuck shop in Spitfire Street in the Hague when a stray bullet from a gangster’s gun killed her.
She had been set to testify this month against a man who allegedly raped her.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed that a 22-year-old suspect had appeared in court on a charge of murder relating to Aqeelah’s death.
Delft has also become a hot spot for police murders. This year, Constables Zuko Sima and Shamiela Arendse were murdered, as was Constable Khangelani Magqabini in 2021.
It is for this reason that activists and neighbourhood watches, led by Farida Ryklief and Susan Jantjies, have handed petitions and memorandums to the station commander at Delft police station and the senior magistrate at Bellville Magistrate’s Court.
The petition has been signed by close to 10 000 people. They have appealed for better services, more police visibility, not allowing those released out on parole to re-enter their community, more skilled detectives, communication with victims and families, prioritisation of safety of women and children, and denial of bail for those awaiting trial for serious and violent crimes.
“We have said when a person is caught with a firearm, they must not be granted bail,” said Ryklief.
“We know young children are being groomed to be gunmen.
“Those granted parole must not be allowed to relocate here. We already have an area on high crime alert.”
According to a report by the Social Justice Coalition, in 2018, there were 168 police officers per 100 000 people in Delft. The Delft police station also services Blikkiesdorp, as the area has no satellite station.
The area is home to 28 dedicated neighbourhood watches and 189 Leap (Law Enforcement Advancement Plan) officers have been deployed there.
This week, Weekend Argus approached provincial police to ask about their ratios and police vehicle numbers. In response, they said the station was one of 10 in the province placed on their priority list for crime.
Police spokesperson Colonel Andre Traut said policing in Delft was prioritised and operations were conducted.
“Operation Restore is a targeted Western Cape intervention aimed at disarming criminals in identified communities of illegal firearms and ammunition.
“SAPS resources are allocated to police stations according to crime patterns, and in this province we have identified the top 10 crime-affected stations where serious and violent crimes required additional policing.
“Delft SAPS is on this list and is prioritised with the allocation of human and physical resources.”
This year’s crime statistics revealed Delft was at number 15 for serious and violent crimes, the top station in the country for contact crime, and fifth for murder, with 63 murders between 2021 and 2022.
Inside Aqeelah’s home, her photographs show a happy child, dubbed a warrior by Ryklief and the community.
“She was a warrior, she was vocal about the case, but people remember her death as an unrelated incident where she was shot in a crossfire,” Ryklief added.
Aqeelah’s parents, Vanessa Carollisen and Abdul-Aziz Schroeder, and her sister, Tiffany Carolissen, had hoped for a brighter future.
“We were living in Blikkiesdorp between 2012 and 2018 and then we received this house. We thought it would be a better life for our family,” said Carollisen.
The teen’s funeral will be today. A few days after her shooting, a 13-year-old schoolgirl, who cannot be identified, was shot and wounded near the Usave Shoprite in The Hague.
Marcellino Martin, spokesperson for MEC for Community Safety and Police Oversight Reagan Allen, said his office was not in a position to comment on police operations, but confirmed that Leap officers had been deployed to the area.